Due to the nature of optical fibers, joining two ends requires splices which are of significantly greater size than the fiber itself. The splices create physical conditions which can lead to damage of the fiber optic cable entering and leaving the splice. As such, devices have been designed for holding splices, thereby limiting the movement of the splice and potential damage to the fiber.
Many of the splice holders presently used are high density holders, capable of holding multiple splices. Generally, these comprise a number of adjacent vertical ribs extending upwardly from a base with spaces therebetween for the splices to be inserted. The space between the vertical extensions is determined by the thickness of the splice so that a friction fit is achieved when the splice is inserted into the splice holder.
An additional consideration in retaining splices is the type of fiber spliced. Generally, optical fiber is available in single fiber format and a ribbon of 12 fibers connected together. The standard splice for a fiber ribbon is about 1.6" long and about 0.2" wide, shorter and wider than the standard single fiber splice which is about 2.35" long and about 0.12" in diameter. As such, splice holders are typically made in two different dimensions depending on whether they hold single fiber splices or ribbon splices, the distance between the vertical ribs being farther apart to fit the thicker but shorter ribbon splices.